Cartons

Abstract

A carton comprising a single blank of sheet material, folded and joined into a tube comprising a front, bottom, rear and top of the carton, said blank including further parts for closing the ends of the carton, the joint in the circumference of the tube being formed by a flange connected to the lid, sandwiched between inner and outer portions of the material folded down the inner face of the front and up again, the front having flaps extending therefrom at the ends, and the inner of the said portions having further flaps extending therefrom and glued to the respective flaps of the front.

Description

This invention relates to cartons made of a single blank of sheet material, by folding and joining the blank into an open ended tube comprising a front, bottom, rear, and top of the carton, and thereafter closing ends of the carton by further parts of the blank. Such cartons are known as skillets. In use, the making of the blank and the folding and joining into a tube may be carried out by a carton manufacturer. Then the tube, in flattened condition, is supplied to a user, who opens the tube into substantially rectangular section, loads the contents through one end of the tube, and closes the ends, thus forming a completed filled carton.

This invention is concerned with a way of making the joint in the circumference of the tube so as to enable the cartons to be opened from the top. This is of particular value in the packing of chocolates, but there are many other uses.

According to this invention, the joint in the circumference of the tube is formed by an edge part of the blank gripped between two other parts of the blank, so that the carton can be opened by withdrawing the said edge part from between the two other parts and lifting the entire top as part of a lid hinged to the remainder of the carton.

Thus cartons according to this invention have at the same time the advantages that they can be loaded by an end-loading machine, and that the consumer has access from the top.

The term "top" is used in relation to contents which require to be kept right way up when the carton is open. If this need does not exist, then the "top" need not necessarily be uppermost, although the greatest advantage of the invention arises where the top and "bottom" are the two largest panels of the carton.

Examples of cartons according to the invention will now be s described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first carton;

FIG. 2 is a plan of a blank for this first carton;

FIG. 3 shows this blank, folded into a tube;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged section of the tube, looking in the direction indicated at IV-IV in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of a blank which is a modification of the blank shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross section of a completed carton using the blank of FIG. 5, the section being taken on the line indicated at VI-VI, and the FIG. resembling FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a plan of a blank for a further carton;

FIG. 8 is a front view of on a larger scale of a carton formed from the blank shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of another blank; and

FIG. 10 is a cross section on a larger scale of a carton formed from the blank shown in FIG. 9, the line of section being indicated at X-X.

All the cartons shown are intended for half a pound of assorted chocolates, and are of the size and shape usually used for this purposes, namely 53/4 inches by 4 inches by 11/2inches. They are made of folding box board. The thickness of the board is exaggerated somewhat in the sectional FIGS. of the drawings.

The first carton, shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, is assembled by first folding the blank shown in FIG. 2 into the open ended tube shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The tube is constituted by the front 2, bottom 4 and rear 6 and top 8 of the carton. The top has a downward flange 10 along its front edge, which is trapped in a slot formed by portions 12 and 14 which extend from the front 2. In FIG. 2, broken lines 16 indicate scoring to facilitate folding of the board, the band 18 indicates a line of glue applied to the visible face, and the band 20 indicates a line of glue applied to the reverse face, below midheight. As shown in FIG. 4, the portions 12 and 14 are folded in a zigzag fashion against the inner face of the front 2, and are retained in place by adhesion of the lines of glue 18, 20 with the surfaces with which they are brought into contact.

The tube is initially formed in a flattened condition as indicated by the broken lines 22 in FIG. 4. The first steps (see FIG. 2) are to fold the portions 12 and 14 up and over on top of the front 2 and bottom 4, about the line 24, thus causing the line of glue 18 on the portion 12 to adhere to the front 2; and then to fold the lid 8 up and over about the line 26, so that the flange 10 lies on top of the portion 14. Then the front 2 is folded over about the line 28, while at the same time folding takes place on the line 29, thus causing the line of glue 20 on the portion 14 to adhere to the portion 12. As this happens, the portion 14 slides a short distance beneath the flange 10, because the portions 12 and 14 are not quite as deep as the front 2.

The flattened tubes are made by a carton manufacturer. Existing machinery can be readily modified to perform the necessary operations. Then the tubes are supplied in flattened condition to a user, in this case a confectionery maker, who opens the tube into rectangular section, as shown in FIG. 3, and in solid lines in FIG. 4.

The contents are loaded through one end of the tube, using existing equipment, and then the ends of the tube are closed (or one end may be closed before loading and one after). At each end there is a main flap 30 attached to the bottom 4, and small flaps 32, 34 attached to the front 2 and rear 6. Patches or lines of glue are applied to the outer faces of the small flaps 32, 34 which are then folded towards one another and covered by the main flap 30, to which the glue adheres.

The main flaps 30, and the portion 14, carry decorative flanges 36, 38. The front 2 and the portion 12 have a small cutout 40 to aid a consumer in releasing the lid, constituted by the top 8 and the flange 10, by pulling the flange 10 upwards out of its sandwiched position in which it is frictionally gripped between the portions 12 and 14. The lid hinges about the line 26. In FIG. 4 the symbol of a broken circle is used to indicate the hinge.

The lid can be reclosed by pushing the flange 10 down again into the slot between the portions 12 and 14.

The carton shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 differs from that shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 in that the portions 12 and 14 are less deep than the front 2. This leads to an economy in material. Because of this reduction of depth, the portions 12 and 14 cannot be glued directly together. Instead, additional small flaps 90 extend from the portion 14, and are glued to the inside of the flaps 32. This gluing takes place during the formation of a tube. When the ends of the carton are closed, the flaps 32 are folded inwards, carrying the flaps 90 with them.

In the carton shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the joint in the tube constituted by the front, bottom and rear of the carton body and the lid of the carton is formed by interlocking between the flange 10 on the lid and the front 2 of the carton. Specifically, there is a central downward extension 92 on the flange 10, with small notches 94 at its two ends, and there is a central downward recess 96 in the front 2, again with small notches 98 at its two ends. When the blank is formed into a tube, the extension 92 is tucked behind the lower part of the front 2, and the notches 94 and 98 lock together, as shown in FIG. 8. To release the lid in the completed carton, one end of the flange 10 is pushed obliquely endways and upwards, as indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 8, so as to disengage the adjacent pair of notches 94, 98, while the top becomes a little twisted, whereupon the other pair of notches is disengaged by pushing the flange in the opposite endways direction, as indicated by the arrow B, and then the lid, consisting of the top 8 and flange 10, is opened, hinging about the line 26.

FIGS. 9 and 2 10 show another form of carton in which the flange 10 on the lid is joined to the front 2 of the carton body by friction grip. Furthermore, this carton is designed for conversion to a display carton at a point of sale.

The extension of the flange 10 on the lid in this case extends the full depth of the carton, and has a small downward tongue 100 which, on assembly, enters a slot 102 at the junction between the front 2 and the bottom 4. In this assembled condition, the central extension 92 lies behind the front 2, while upper corner portions 104 of the flange 10 lie in front of upper corner portions 106 of the front 2, as indicated in FIG. 10.

To enable the carton to be converted for display purposes, the lid 8 has an arcuate slit 108, and a hinge 110 at each end of the slit. When the carton is opened, the lid is folded in half about the hinge line 110, and the tongue 100 is inserted immediately in front of the back wall 6 of the carton, and enters a slot 112 at the junction between the back wall and the bottom 4. This situation is shown in chain lines in FIG. 10. Printed matter, which has appeared on the outside of the top of the carton, now appears facing forwards, so as to act as an advertisement to a possible purchaser. The recess 114 in the front 2 (FIG. 9) is exposed when the lid is opened, and facilitates removal of items from the carton. In all these constructions, the advantage of access from the top is obtained without any need for securing the top by gluing during assembly or tearing of material during opening. The cartons are neat before opening, while open, and after reclosing. They provide dustproofing. If pilfer-proofing is required then an overwrap e.g. of cellophane, should be applied.

The kind of joint in the circumference shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 may be applied to cartons in which the opening of the lid releases tucked or folded parts at the ends, enabling those parts to be folded outwards, thus exposing the entire contents, e.g. cakes, biscuits, or ice cream. For such release to occur, the lid needs to have end flanges, secured by flaps to the front flange 10.

Claims

I claim:

1. A method of making a carton of a single blank of sheet material comprising the steps of folding the blank into an open ended tube comprising a front, bottom, rear, and top of the carton, forming a joint in the circumference of the tube by placing an edge part of the blank in a gripped situation between two other parts of the blank, and thereafter closing the ends of the carton by further parts of the blank so that the carton is able to be opened by withdrawing the said edge part from between the two other parts and lifting the entire top as part of a lid hinged to the remainder of the carton.

2. A method according to claim 1, in which the edge part is a flange connected to the lid.

3. A method according to claim 2, in which the edge part is sandwiched between the two other parts, which are in face to face relationship.

4. A method according to claim 3, in which the said two other parts are formed by portions of material folded down the inner face of the front and up again.

5. A method according to claim 4, in which the said two parts are glued together along a line below their midheight.

6. A method according to claim 2, in which the edge part is flat when unstressed and the said two other parts are flat and in a common plane when unstressed and the edge part is flexed so as to press against the outer face of a first of the other parts and against the inner face of the second of the other parts.

7. A method according to claim 6, in which the said two other parts are an upper and a lower part of the front, and the flange lies outside the upper part and inside the lower part, and has a tongue engaged in a slot at the junction of the front and the bottom.

8. A method according to claim 1, in which the parts closing the ends are glued together.

9. A method according to claim 4, including securing the inner of the said two parts to the front by gluing together flaps extending from the front at the ends and respective flaps extending from the inner of the said two parts.

10. A method according to claim 2, including interlocking two oppositely facing notches in the said edge part with respective notches on the said two other parts.

11. A carton comprising a single blank of sheet material, folded and joined into a tube comprising a front, bottom, rear and top of the carton, said blank including further parts for closing the ends of the carton, the joint in the circumference of the tube being formed by a flange connected to the lid, sandwiched between inner and outer portions of the material folded down the inner face of the front and up again, the front having flaps extending therefrom at the ends, and the inner of the said portions having further flaps extending therefrom and glued to the respective flaps of the front.

12. A partly-prepared carton comprising a single blank of sheet material, formed into a flattened tube comprising a front, bottom, rear and top for the carton, said blank including further parts for closing the ends of the carton after erection of the tube, a joint in the circumference of the flattened tube being constituted by an edge part of the blank gripped between two other parts of the blank so that the carton is able to be opened by withdrawing the said edge part from between the two other parts and lifting the entire top as part of a lid hinged to the remainder of the carton.